Page 16 of The Perfect Gift

‘Everyone’s seen it.’ Rosamund’s tone made it hard for Frankie to judge what she’d thought about it.

Frankie winced as she remembered where they’d filmed it. It was on the tip of her tongue to apologise for not seeking permission first, but before she could say anything, Dave rolled up and clapped Dalton on the back. ‘You did a great job, kid!’ Dave declared. ‘We’re heading down to the Smuggler’s for a beer, let me stand you a pint.’

‘Come on, Frankie, let’s get you out of this costume,’ Becca said in her mother-hen voice. Frankie tried not to smile as Becca fussed about, handing Frankie her water bottle while she tutted and inspected her gown.

Rosamund shot her an apologetic smile. ‘I realise you’re desperate to get changed, but could I borrow you for just one minute?’

Before Frankie could answer, Dave leaned in with a cheeky grin. ‘You coming down the Smuggler’s for a pint, Lady R?’

‘A pint? Behave yourself, Dave, for God’s sake!’ Becca scolded. ‘I’m sure Ros has better things to do than go drinking with us.’

‘While I did hold my university college’s record for downing the fastest yard of ale, we’ll have to make it another night as my grandmother is expecting me for dinner.’ Rosamund’s enigmatic smile made it impossible to tell if she was joking or not, but Frankie rather liked to think she wasn’t.

‘Now that’s a sight I’d pay good money to see!’ Unbowed by the laser glare his wife was shooting at him, Dave leaned over and stole a kiss from Becca before bearing a sweaty, grinning Dalton off to his trailer to get changed before they headed to the local pub.

Tired as she was, Frankie was intrigued enough by Rosamund’s request that she turned to Becca. ‘I’ll join you in the caravan in a minute.’

She followed Rosamund across the hall and into her sitting room. ‘If it’s about filming in here without your permission, then I’m really sorry. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Dalton was worried about the scene and I wanted to give him a little ego boost.’

‘Oh, don’t worry about that. I told you before you were welcome in here any time.’ Ros took a seat on the sofa and folded her hands in her lap. There was something slightly nervous about the way she rubbed one thumb over the other and it was odd to see her as anything other than calm and composed.

‘Is everything okay?’

‘What? Yes, everything’s fine. It’s just that I saw your video and it gave me an idea.’ Ros reached up and ran a hand over her sleek ponytail. ‘Goodness, I feel awkward even asking…’ She gave a funny half-laugh.

‘There’s no need to be. You’ve been so kind since the first day we met.’ Sitting in her gown was out of the question, so Frankie had to settle for resting her hands on the back of the sofa. ‘If there’s something I can do to help, I’ll be more than happy to.’

Some of the tension in Rosamund’s shoulders faded. ‘Running the castle takes an enormous amount of money.’ She shrugged a shoulder and smiled. ‘It’s one of the reasons we’re trying different things to raise revenue.’

Frankie wasn’t sure what this had to do with her, but it was clear the other woman wanted to get something off her chest so she went along with it. ‘Like letting our production company film here, you mean?’

Ros nodded. ‘Exactly that. We’re planning to open to the public next year for the first time. With the show being so popular, we’re hoping it will generate an extra level of interest.’

‘If the fan sites are anything to go by, a lot of people have loved visiting the locations of the first season, so there’s no reason why it wouldn’t be the same for Boscowen Castle.’ Frankie suddenly understood where the conversation was going. ‘You mentioned the video I made with Dalton. Did you want me to do something to promote the castle?’

A relieved smile brightened Rosamund’s features. ‘I know it’s probably the last thing you’d want to do…’

It certainly wasn’t at the top of her list but, given how helpful and kind the other woman had been to her, it didn’t feel like a big ask. Frankie pushed away the tiredness pressing at her and gave Rosamund her best smile. ‘I’d love to do it. Do you have a script or are we just going to wing it?’

* * *

‘I was about to send out a search party,’ Becca said when Frankie finally walked into the caravan.

‘Sorry to keep you hanging around. Ros wanted me to film a little promo thing for the castle and, well, you know how helpful she’s been to us all.’

‘She’s been brilliant,’ Becca agreed. ‘If you were doing her a favour, then we don’t mind, do we, Jessie?’

The younger woman shook her head. ‘Not at all! And if it’s anything like the clip you did with Dalton, it’s going to be a sure-fire winner. You’re the number one trending topic right now!’

Frankie knew the other woman was only trying to be supportive, but hearing that had Frankie swallowing back a wash of bile. The last time she’d trended had been for all the wrong reasons. She picked up her phone, took one look at the number of notifications and immediately switched it off.

Dalton seemed to get almost high from the buzz of all that attention, and Frankie wished she could be as excited because of what it would mean for the future success of the show, but the old fears still lurked. For every sweet comment, there’d be someone ready to drop poison. Dalton had an army of besotted followers and a lot of them were not happy about their pin-up being associated with the nastiest diva on the Internet. As she stood in front of the mirror and let Becca and Jessie strip her of her costume, wig and make-up, Frankie gave herself a pep talk. It didn’t matter what strangers said about her, the people she let get close to her knew the truth of who Frankie was. She knew who she was. A few spiteful comments was a price worth paying to have coaxed that performance from Dalton. And if the clip she’d filmed for Rosamund could help the Boscowen family in any way, it seemed a small price to pay for their kindness and hospitality.

Like an unofficial protection detail, Jessie and Becca insisted on walking with Frankie down the steep path from the castle and into the heart of the village. Becca left them when they reached the Penrose House Hotel, where most of the crew were staying, as she had a video call with her kids lined up before their bedtime. Jessie tried her best to persuade Frankie to join the rest of them for a drink in the pub, but she was desperate to get home and decompress. She was still a little strung out from the afternoon’s filming and all she wanted was a hot shower and a cold glass of wine.

When she let herself into the cottage, the first thing she noticed was the shiny silver bolt on the back of the door. With everything else that had happened, she’d completely forgotten about Matt borrowing her keys. She inspected the mechanism and was surprised at how sturdy it looked. She’d expected one of those flimsy chains that only gave the illusion of security, but this was more like the solid slide bolts she was used to seeing in hotel rooms. Frankie locked the door behind her, secured the bolt and immediately felt some of the tension she’d been carrying with her all day loosen.

The next thing she noticed was the armchair had been moved back into its usual spot. Thinking she’d have to shove it in front of the door again, Frankie had shifted it only enough to let herself out that morning. Matt must’ve put it back for her after he’d sorted out the lock. She smiled at the quiet thoughtfulness behind his actions.